


Love Without A Conscience

by screamingstrawberry



Category: Sanders Sides, Thomas Sanders RPF
Genre: M/M, deceit's name is james and hes adorable pry him from my cold dead hands i dare you, i can and its adorable, little tiny child emile can you imagine, remy's just a baby but he's here, so will emile, virgil will come later
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-01
Updated: 2018-09-02
Packaged: 2019-06-19 22:39:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,404
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15520215
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/screamingstrawberry/pseuds/screamingstrawberry
Summary: Patton, for the first time in his very short life, has decided to take what he wanted. Between this odd little boy and constantly flirting parents, he realizes, maybe he's finally gotten all he wanted. A family. But it doesn't end there.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> adoption fic lets gooooooooo

Contrary to popular opinion, Patton absolutely hated open house days. He didn’t mind the fact that the other kids played with him to make themselves appear friendly. He didn’t mind the plastered smile on his face as couples observed him for a few moments, only to pass him by without a second thought, like a duck in a zoo. And he didn’t mind watching a roommate or another child at the orphanage happily skip into the adoption room, ready to go to a forever home. That wasn’t his problem with open house days.

His problem was that most times things didn’t work like that. Children would ignore him anyways, no matter how friendly he tried to be. The smile would fall from his face each time a couple passed him and he’d only barely just managed it back on when another came by and made it drop again. And every open house night Patton spent cradling the younger ones, reassuring them they’d get adopted one of these days, even though there were kids like himself still here years later who’d all but given up hope.

Yeah, he definitely hated open house days.

And to make it worse he never knew when they were.The three or four social workers would come that morning, standing around in the kitchen chatting while the children were usually bubbling with excitement, or in some cases, fighting off a panic attack. Patton tended not to fit in either category. He was almost twelve now, having been in the orphanage for nearly four years, and it was the age that kids tended to get stuck here. He was long since hopeful for a pair of parents to pluck him out of this place, he just hoped some of the little ones got to go. They needed it most. 

He almost wished he could stay inside, curled up on his bed listening to the soft hums from the girl on the other side of the wall Patton’s bed was up against. He’d never bothered to learn her name, then again since most other kids avoided him, she’d never bothered to learn his either. But, he couldn’t. Mrs. Alvarado was standing in the doorway watching all of the children get ready, commenting on different things they did wrong or had forgotten, Patton having already been chastised four times. 

Mr. and Mrs. Alvarado ran the orphanage, and on the outside they looked like a warm, happy couple. Mr. Alvarado was a little taller than average, fairly skinny except for a bit of a gut, whereas Mrs. Alvarado was barely five foot, and a little stout. At the current moment, Mr. Alvarado was downstairs with the social workers, and Patton figured it was for the best. The other side of Patton’s and the older boys room shared a wall with the Alvarados bedroom, and based on the fight they had last night, this morning was not going to be a happy one. 

Patton and his roommates were the last to descend the stairs tucked away in the left corner of the house, they were the oldest group of children. The one bedroom that was on the second floor with them was a girl’s bedroom, with kids just a year or two younger than Patton. The four bedrooms on the first floor were three bedrooms full of younger orphans, and an empty bedroom that had been for the Alvarado’s daughter. Patton had gotten to meet her his first summer here, the summer before she left for college. She hasn’t returned. After descending the stairs to join with the rest of the children of the house, twenty children including Patton, they were dismissed and allowed to head outside. Prospective parents should be arriving soon.  

“Good morning, Patton.” Mr. Jonathan, Patton’s social worker, smiled as Patton tried to rush past to gain his favorite spot. Patton knew well enough at this point that Jonathan was the man’s first name, but at this point as long as Mr. Jonathan was fine with Patton calling him Mr. Jonathan, Patton didn’t have any mind to change now. “Excited for today?”

“Not really.” Patton shrugged. Mr. Jonathan reached over and tossed Patton an apple, and Patton was able to pull the tiniest smile onto his face as he bit into it. Empire. His favorite.

“If not, we’ve already got a new group home picked out for you, dear.” Mrs. Alvarado said, coming up behind Patton to place her uncomfortably warm hands on his shoulders. He tensed at the touch, wondering what he’d done wrong, and the politely hidden scowl on Mr. Jonathan's face didn’t make him feel any better. 

“Well, let’s just keep our chins up for today, eh? You never know.” Mr. Jonathan was a nice enough man. He had a son, Julian, that he talked about far too much and a wife that he seemed to be constantly trying to please, but that’s just cause Patton spent a lot of time with him. “Why don’t you go see if you can catch some of the early ones?”

Patton nodded, faking the vigor he used to quickly run towards the door. He happened to be in his favorite blue polo, with his sweater wrapped around his shoulders, just in case the weather called for it. It was spring, or it was supposed to be now toward the end of April, but the cold weather still lingered come afternoon. Not that Patton minded, he preferred the cold. More sweaters. He adjusted his glasses when the sun rays hit them at just the right angle to cause a glare, and set out toward his favorite spot, underneath the tree in the front lawn. 

He saw every couple that came through, and unless they were particularly interested in the prepubescent reading Winnie the Pooh, the only book he had saved enough loose coins for, then they’d leave him alone. He was also able to see them go, a happy child usually following them. Patton kept his head in his book, which he’d gotten used to doing the last few open house days, only looking up at the sound of a voice near his head. 

“Winnie the Pooh. Classic.” The man’s voice kind of deep, he had combed back brown hair and dark brown eyes, and was in a red button up and jeans. Parton looked at him he was holding his hand out for a high five. Patton smiled, high fived him, and almost felt kind of sad when he stood up and walked away. 

He wasn’t sure how long it had been since that, but this time the voice that interrupted him was younger and higher, child-like. “Mind if I sit here?”

Patton looked up to see a child a little younger than him standing with both of his hands stuffed into the front pocket of his jeans. He looked kind of sheepish, and his arms blocked most of the view of his yellow sweater with the black button up underneath sticking out of the top. His hair was a light brown, his eyes kind of a hazel color, and his mouth was furrowed into a thin line. And who could miss the half of his face being seriously distorted. 

“Sure.” Patton shrugged, reaching his hand down to pat the grass next to him. His hand got a little dirt on it, but Patton just wiped it on his khakis. They were an old pair anyway. 

“Thanks.” The kid sat down criss cross applesauce, scooting a little closer to Patton as he leaned over to see what he was reading. “Ah, nice my Dad loves that book.” 

“So your parents are adopting?” Patton asked, trying not to seem to inquisitive. The kid didn’t seem to mind, in fact he didn’t look like he was even paying Patton any mind as he ran his hand back and forth over the blades of grass. 

“Yeah.” The kid shrugged, and then turned to Patton. “I hope you don’t mind me sitting with you, I just didn’t want to sit alone and I don’t want to scare off any of the kids my dads are looking at.” 

“Why would you scare them off?” Patton set his book down, not bothering to fold the page that’s been folded eighty times over probably. 

“This-” The kid gestured to the side of his face that was distorted. “kinda makes other kids uncomfortable.”

“You haven’t made me uncomfortable, you’re probably just around the wrong kids.” Patton said, quickly biting his lip, it was probably the wrong thing to say, he was judging the kids judge of character-“I think you’re quite nice, actually.” 

“Thanks-” The kid’s sentence dropped off, and he made a little circle with his hand before doing a ‘gimme’ motion. 

“Oh, Patton.” Patton smiled, reaching up to knock himself in the head. “Sorry, I can be kind of stupid sometimes.” 

“Falsehood.” The kid said, holding his hand now over the middle of his chest, like he was declaring something before shrugging and losing the attitude completely. “Sorry, it’s something my Papa says when we have to point out a lie. I lie a lot, I’m James.” 

“Nice to meet you James.” Patton’s smile dropped, and he looked down to pick at one of the blades of grass in front of him. “And it wasn’t a lie, the other kids call me it all of the time.”

“You’re probably just around the wrong kids then.” James repeated his words back at him. “You don’t seem stupid at all.” 

“How do I know that’s not a lie?” Patton asked, he meant it to be playful or teasing, but he could see the boy’s smile turned sour. Patton frowned, opening his mouth to apologize but James beat him to the punch. 

“You have no reason to believe me, even after I’ve said I lie a lot.” James lifted his head, giving Patton another look at the folded and scarred skin around the side of his face, and yet the almost twelve year old found his gaze drifting to James’ cool gray eyes. They looked, hopeful? “I just don’t think you’re stupid.” 

“Thanks.” Patton blushed. 

 


	2. Chapter 2

“James? James?” A voice interrupted them from the other side of the tree. It was deep, kind of like the first man Patton had met that day. 

“Over here Papa!” James shouted back, and Patton almost had nerve to cover his ears, but also couldn’t help but laugh at the way James threw his head back and called. The younger boy almost fell over with the way his head was cranked backward, looking somewhere that Patton’s eyes couldn’t follow. 

Soon enough a tall man, slightly shorter than that first man, walked over and sat himself down next to James. His hair was a bit dark, not enough to be a black or even a dark brown really, but you could tell the locks didn’t see much sunlight. He had a black short sleeved button up on that made him look paler than he probably was, a blue tie, as well as dark blue jeans. His eyes were a sharp crystal blue, and they commanded Patton’s attention. 

Even now, as James crawled on the ground over to him, plopping himself down in the man’s lap, Patton couldn’t look away. James reached up to pull off his tie and the man’s glasses from his face only to put them on. James over exaggerated his shoulders, and held the tie against his own neck at the knot, speaking in a funny voice. “Hello, Patton, it is I, James’s father Logan. So very cordially to meet you.” 

“First of all, I do not sound like that.” Logan, so it seemed, reached down to pluck his glasses off his son’s face. “Second of all, you used that word correctly, I’m proud of you.” 

“Thanks Papa.” James leaned around quickly to press a kiss to Logan’s cheek. Patton felt an ache right around, well right around his heart, but ignored it as James turned back around. “This is Patton, Papa, he’s cool.” 

“Nice to meet you.” Patton held out his hand and Logan smiled, returning the gesture. The two shook hands and Logan’s dropped back to hold James’ knee. 

“How old are you, Patton?” Logan asked, adjusting his glasses as they slipped down his nose. Patton could relate, his own didn’t fit, but there was no use being a bother enough to get them fixed. 

“11, almost 12.” Patton replied, ducking his head, knowing this is the part where they would smile and get up to leave. No one wanted someone as old as him. Granted, he wasn’t even the oldest in the orphanage, but the fact that there were older just proved after a while, no one wanted you. 

“You’re quite short for your age.” Logan replied. 

“I have short genes.” Patton replied, tugging on the fabric of his pants. 

“Those are khakis.” Logan said, a puzzled expression across his face. James laughed, reaching over to bump fists with Patton’s open hand before pulling away, hugging himself as he laughed. 

“It was a pun.” Patton shrugged. “You win some, you lose some.” 

“While I don’t understand humorous wordplay, that was very witty, Patton.” Logan replied, adjusting his glasses again. 

James groaned, throwing his head back and shaking it until Logan appeared quite frazzled, the hair on the back of the boy’s neck brushing up against his father’s face as he thrashed his head about. “Would you like something, James?”

“I’m hungry.” James whined, letting his head fall back on his father’s shoulder. Patton had gotten to see more of James’s Adams apple than his face today it seemed. Logan sighed, and Patton almost thought he was going to get mad, but then he wiggled his hand into his pocket and pulled out what looked like a collection of granola bars. They were kind of smushed, but as Logan handed one to James and to Patton, Patton discovered it didn’t taste any different. 

“Thank you sir.” Patton mumbled, and Logan frowned.

“Just Logan is fine.” Logan said, pushing his glasses up his face.

“I think I like Sir Logan better.” A familiar voice from behind Logan said and Patton looked up to see the first man he’d met that morning smiling down at the two across from him in the grass. “Makes you sound like a knight in shining armor.”

“Just Logan is fine.” Logan repeated to Patton as the man planted himself down next to Logan, leaning over to press a kiss to Logan’s cheek. 

“How come I was not invited to this incredibly awesome party by the tree?” The man laughed. 

“It’s not a party, there’s no music or-” Logan said, turning to the man, looking suddenly very worried. 

Patton watched the two stare at each once Logan turned, brown and blue eyes danced back and forth to a rhythm he kind of felt left out on, a rhythm that seemed to last many minutes and through many topics. The two men spouted at each other, lovingly it seemed, unlike he’d seen Mr and Mrs Alvarado fight. But even James was having a bit of difficulty catching their attention. 

“Ah-em.” James interrupted. The man, who Patton had yet to learn the name of, had been in the middle of some kind of playful quip at his partner. 

“Yes of course, Jamie.” The man leaned over, pressing a kiss to his forehead, and despite leaning into the touch as far as his young body would take him with his father’s arms wrapped tightly around him, James did not appear satisfied. “What?”

“You two are completing ignoring Patton and I.” James pouted, crossing his arms and everything. Patton had to admit he looked a lot less intimidating than the child had when he’d first approached, than he did now with his pursed lips and puppy dog eyes.

“Patton, is it?” The man asked. “I’m Roman, James’s father. Please accept my dearest apologies.” 

“It’s alright.” Patton shrugged. He had no problem being a background character in their little family dynamic. It had, after all, been the longest any prospective couple had talked to him to date. Most of them found him too dazed, not smart enough, maybe a little too chubby around the edges-

“Do you like babies?” James asked unexpectedly and quite loudly when the group had fallen into a comfortable, yet unfamiliar silence. Patton didn’t mind, but based on the cautious and expecting looks of Logan and Roman, they were probably hoping he’d been a little more attentive. Nevertheless, Patton smiled, maybe a little harshly, but if they were sticking with him for something he had to make that last as long as he could. 

“Yes!” A very small portion of Patton’s excitement was fake and hollow. Babies were the best. They were so cute, and tiny, and once he’d been able to hold a newborn orphan’s tiny hand and he’d almost cried from how emotional it made him. Of course the baby had been scooped up by the very next pair of parents, something about all the fun without all the hard work. Oh right, they’d been talking to me, Patton thought as he zoned back in. “Babies are adorable.” 

“Great!” James said climbing off his father’s lap to stand up. James held his hand out to Patton and as he took he realized he was actually quite taller than the younger boy. James came up to about the middle of his chest, and when they were both standing the younger boy tried to reach up to put his arm around Patton’s shoulders. “I’ve got a baby brother, Remy. He doesn’t do much, just sleeps and eats. He’s kind of cute though.” 

James was on his tiptoes by the time he’d even reached his shoulders, and Patton laughed, snaking his arm around James’s waist to lift him up off the ground. James protested, but was laughing anyway when Patton put him back down. Logan and Roman were standing as well, when Patton looked back at him, and he pulled his hands behind his back, intertwining his fingers. He looked up at them sheepishly, they were probably mad he’d taken up so much of their son’s time. 

“So Patton,” Roman said, leaning down to rest his arms on Patton’s shoulders, now that his arm wasn’t around James. The younger didn’t seem to mind, merely started to smack his father’s hand closest to him back and forth like a tetherball. 

“James, my hand-James, stop it. What are you doing?” Logan said, lifting his hand up to try and keep it from James who was now smacking his hands wildly in his father’s direction. 

“Where does one have to go to adopt a kid ‘round here?” Roman asked, talking out of the side of his mouth making his lips quirk in a funny way. Even though his words to Patton weren’t all that funny, Patton tugged on the bottom hem of his shirt and cast his gaze out over the rest of the yard. 

They seemed to like him enough for recommendations, so that was a plus. If only he could’ve done a little more to make them want him, oh well. He caught sight of light blonde scurry past the swings, and heard rather than saw the familiar boisterous voice of one of the oldest boys here. Nicholas and Sam. Calling to them to slow down was Ashley, who was closer to Patton’s age  but really rude, and sat next to her on the ground drawing in the dirt and staring off into space was Morgan, who had on that god awful purple sweater she never took off. They were ok, but Patton could do better. He could smile brighter than Nicholas, if they wanted, laugh louder like Sam, maybe even acted a little smarter like Ashley. 

“Well there’s Nicholas, he’s the tallest four year old I’ve ever seen but he’s got big baby blue kind of like Logan’s, or there’s Morgan, who granted sometimes seems a little out of it, but she’s just got a big imagination that she tends to get stuck in.” Patton rattled off, figuring yeah, Morgan might be a good pick for them, when Roman smiled, placing his hand firmly on Patton’s shoulder.

“Little prince, you know we’re talking about you, right? We want to adopt you.” Roman said, catching the almost twelve year old’s attention. Patton looked up at him, confused, before promptly bursting into tears. 

 


End file.
